Why I stopped social drinking

For me, alcohol dissolved the barrier between myself and the rest of the world.

~ Bill Wilson

Alcohol has served as a social lubricant for thousands of years. It can inflate confidence and extroversion and quell social anxiety.

But, current research cautions that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for human health. I have written about this more thoroughly in the past.

Why I had to say 'no' to alcohol

Alcohol impairs calcium absorption by affecting the liver's ability to activate vitamin D. Vitamin D is important in the metabolism of calcium. The more alcohol you drink, the more you hinder your body's ability to build up and maintain healthy bones.

~ Harvey & Marilyn Diamond

Some people are more adversely affected by alcohol than others.

The pause in thinking while drinking is too short-lived and fraught with long-term consequences for a select few.

Personally, the odd binge drinking night in my youth presented unwelcome physical and emotional consequences. I was left with nothing but regret.

Even small amounts of alcohol have not served me well, especially when traveling. I am pleased to acknowledge that saying 'no' to alcohol during our recent vacation spared me the digestive distress that has plagued me in the past.

Like me, our healthy daughter suffered several adverse health challenges after social and business-related binge-drinking events.

She stopped drinking in 2018 after ending up in the hospital, having lost complete vision in her right eye. An evening of excessive consumption, hosting high-performing fellow entrepreneurs, led to this frightful event.

After ruling out stroke and a tumour, multiple sclerosis was the diagnosis doctors were leaning towards based on the number of lesions found with an MRI in her brain. Saying 'no' to alcohol and improving her diet and lifestyle resolved the problem naturally. She regained complete vision and remains healthy.

By impairing the activation of vitamin D in the liver, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to osteoporosis as we age - another reason to stop.

Witnessing how severely alcohol can inflame the brain and impair bone maintenance, I chose to stop drinking and overcame the need to fit in with the popular crowd.

However, unlike our daughter, who is a great connector, feeling comfortable in a large social gathering is a work in progress for me.